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The Rice Thresher
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Angelo Zanola thresher staff A Democratic president is desperately trying to establish a legacy in the final year of his term. What does he do? Attempt to forge peace in the Middle East? Advance democracy in the Balkans? Not in The Contender, a political drama about the appointment of a female senator to the vice presidency. The vice president has died and President Evans (Jeff Bridges) must choose a new one. He passes over conventional favorite Gov. Hathaway and chooses Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen). Hanson must first be approved by a committee headed by Evans' Republican nemesis, Rep. Shelley Runyon (Gary Oldman). Runyon, aided by a young and idealistic Democrat (Christian Slater), digs up dirt on Hanson's sex life and smears her before the entire country. Hanson refuses to dignify the attacks on her character but finds her popular support fading fast. Will the president stand by Hanson and suffer the political damage? Will he drop her and choose the safe Hathaway? Or does Evans have a trick up his sleeve? Allen has been getting some pre-Oscar buzz as the proud and strong nominee who runs up against a double standard of sexuality. Allen's performance is solid, but her character loses some of its credibility as the truth is revealed. For an hour, Allen and the writers develop Hanson's weaknesses, her pride and her sexuality and then undercut it all in the final minutes. Bridges' President Evans has the perfect blend of charisma, political savvy and frustration for a president trying to make history and enjoy all of the perks before he leaves. Oldman plays the Republican villain deftly, taking him beyond the simple caricature outlined in the script. Christian Slater is good as the young representative, but there is something eerie about thinking of Slater as a key player in our government. Despite a number of strong performances, the cast of The Contender lacks chemistry. Each actor is trying to shove his own character over all of the others. The result feels too much like a bunch of character actors playing politicians. There are also some problems with the story. The Contender focuses entirely on the machinations of politicians and the press, leaving out the voters entirely. Intriguing characters are introduced and quickly forgotten. Five minutes into the film, the focus shifts from the heroics of Hathaway to the political manipulations of Evans. There is also a blatant political bias, which reminds us why Democrats have such an easy time raising money in Hollywood. For a film that strives for political authenticity, The Contender leads one to believe that nothing is happening in Washington besides Hanson's struggle. If Evans is a lame duck, what about the election? What else fills the president's days besides eating, bowling and appointing? The final rousing speech wraps everything into too tidy a bipartisan package for a film about bitter rivalries. Even with these problems, the script is nicely paced and sometimes hilarious. All of the characters are well defined except for the puritan Runyon. The script not only recognizes the dirt and mud of Washington, but frolics in it for over two hours. The Contender is a solid film but falls short of its grand ambitions. It loves to deal with the dirty, underhanded aspects of our government and has moments of greatness. The film has a good cast and some funny moments, but I don't expect it to be a serious contender on Oscar night.
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